As Christians work together in a local congregation, the right attitudes are necessary. All the talent in the world cannot make up for wrong attitudes. With the right attitudes, our efforts in service to the Lord are enhanced and live up to their full potential. I believe that the right attitude in a congregation makes a difference between a thriving church and a surviving church. In what areas should we be concerned about our attitudes? I believe we should be concerned about our attitude toward God, toward ourselves as individuals, toward our brethren, and toward the work we do together as a church. In at least these four areas, we must be sure to maintain the proper attitudes.
What attitudes are we talking about? First, let’s look at the attitude we should have towards God. It should be an attitude of love. We must have the right kind of love toward God. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus defined the right kind of love, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind.” We should also have a attitude of faith and trust. Faith is a strong conviction and trust in things one does not see.
We must also have the proper attitude toward ourselves. This should be an attitude of humility. Humility includes a willingness to serve, even to do lowly tasks. We should have the attitude of being teachable. The old as well as the young need a teachable attitude. How teachable are we, when it comes to opportunities to study God’s word? We also must have the attitude of being honest toward our mistakes. This includes a willingness to admit our mistakes.
Lastly, we need the proper attitude toward our brethren and the work of the congregation. The kind of attitude we need toward our brethren is a attitude of Love. Jesus taught us the necessity of loving our brethren. In John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; just as I have loved, you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We need to have an attitude of cooperation. This involves a willingness to work together, as God intended for us to do. The attitude we need toward the work of the congregation is one of gratitude. The work that we do in the local congregation is a privilege that we have been given by God to do. We need to approach the work with an attitude of enthusiasm and eagerness.
I believe if we all display these attitudes in the work of our congregation, God will bless us in our work and the church will grow and be lights in this community. What kind of attitude do you have toward the congregational work here at Wagoner?
Until next week, I love you all,
Dan